Is Farmacy Cruelty-Free and Vegan? (We’re Just So Close)

September 22, 2022

When it comes to sustainability, ethics, and performance, can one skincare brand do it all? Farmacy thinks it can but is this non-GMO, clean beauty brand vegan and cruelty-free?

Farmacy is cruelty-free. It doesn't conduct animal testing on its products, nor does it distribute its cosmetics where animal testing is required by law. While Farmacy does offer a range of vegan cosmetics, it is not considered a vegan brand.

Founder David Chung didn’t see Millennials and Gen Z’s insistence on ethically sourced ingredients as an obstacle but rather an opportunity.

In 2015, Sephora asked beauty entrepreneur Chung if he could start and sell them a natural beauty brand based on the clean beauty trend.

And he understood the assignment.

Farmacy boasts non-toxic formulas and equitable relationships with farmers (and farm workers) who till the land for their mostly plant-based products.

It would seem counter to their ethos for a brand like Farmacy not to prioritize cruelty-free policies and veganism. But can we trust them after they were bought out by a larger company with ties to animal testing?

Is Farmacy Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

Farmacy Cruelty-Free product range

Farmacy is 100% Cruelty-Free

It does not:

  • Test any of its products or ingredients on animals;
  • Purchase any ingredients tested on animals within its supply chain; or
  • Distribute its products to any countries that require animal testing by law.

Farmacy has a solid cruelty-free message, and it shows. It has accreditation from Leaping Bunny – the only internationally recognized certification that guarantees a brand is cruelty-free.

However, the brand is owned by Proctor & Gamble (P&G), a company associated with animal testing.

This brings us to our next point:

Farmacy is Not Vegan

While Farmacy isn’t 100% vegan, they’ve got a wide selection of vegan products that are easy to find.

So for all the vegans reading this – there’s no need to turn around and walk away just yet.  

Farmacy only has one range of products with honey-derived ingredients. The rest of its products are all 100% vegan.

But if you’re not sure, you’ll be able to confirm whether a product is vegan by checking its webpage.  

All vegan-friendly products are marked like this:

Farmacy Vegan Product finder

The only animal-derived ingredients that Farmacy uses include:

  • Honey & beeswax – these ingredients pose many health benefits to your skin and wellbeing. They have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and are loaded with essential vitamins.

    Just because beeswax isn't vegan, it doesn't mean it can't be cruelty-free. Find out more here: Can Beeswax Be Cruelty-Free?
  • Bee propolis – propolis is a mixture of beeswax, bee saliva, and tree resin. Bees make it to mend holes in their hives.

    The substance has been used for centuries to treat wounds or stimulate hair growth!

    Today, it’s known for its powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties that help disinfect and moisturize the skin and manage wound healing. So it’s commonly used to treat acne.  
  • Royal jelly – Nurse bees produce this milky substance to feed larvae and the colony's queen.

    Although there is still much-needed research on this product, there's a lot of evidence showing it also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and could stimulate collagen production.

If you're interested in which products are vegan or finding vegan brand alternatives – keep reading or click on this link: Farmacy vegan products.

Animal Testing Policy and History

Farmacy is committed to creating clean, effective, and affordable cosmetics that are also cruelty-free. This has been its intention since it was founded.

Cruelty-Free Status in 2022

Here is a screenshot of Farmacy’s official statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products, taken from its website:

Farmacy cruelty-free website claim

Certification

Farmacy is Leaping Bunny certified.

While you might know PETA very well – it surprisingly doesn’t hold the strictest cruelty-free regulations. It only requires a brand’s written consent that abides by the PETA code of conduct.

Certification from Leaping Bunny is ideal because it holds rigorous standards and does regular audits to ensure they are upheld.

Leaping Bunny certification proves that:

  • No animal testing is conducted on the ingredients, formulas, or final products they sell.
  • No animal testing is conducted by the brand suppliers or on their ingredients or formulas.
  • No animal testing is done by someone else that the company itself paid for.
  • Any other form of testing (beyond ingredient and consumer safety), such as worker safety and environmental health, are considered and evaluated.

If you see a bunny stamp on the back of your product bottle – that's an excellent sign. But don't let the image itself fool you. A lot of brands are using fake logos to deceive consumers.

Do your homework and see which products are genuinely cruelty-free first. This article will help you: Which Cruelty-Free Logos Can You Trust?

Is Farmacy Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law? 

Farmacy does not distribute any of its products to China or any country that requires animal testing on cosmetics by law.

China has a shocking track record. It is the country with the most animal testing globally, with over 20 million animals used per year.

However, if you live in China or are concerned about its cruel beauty policies, there are a couple of loopholes.

Here's how to find cruelty-free cosmetics in China: Are Cosmetics Made in China Cruelty-Free?

What Farmacy Products Are Vegan?

The only animal-derived ingredients that Farmacy uses are in one product range: The Honey Line.

The brand is 100% vegetarian, with an extensive range of vegan products.

To save you some time, here are some of Farmacy’s most popular and award-winning vegan products to choose from:

  • Green Clean
  • Cherry Up
  • Daily Greens
  • 1% Vitamin A Retinol Serum
  • 10%Niacinamide Night Mask

Unfortunately, Farmacy does not have a dedicated page for its vegan products.

However, if you’re unsure whether something is vegan or not – remember that if it doesn’t say “honey” somewhere on the label, then you’re safe!

Vegan Alternatives to Farmacy

We like that Farmacy is transparent with its customers. They have a clean track record of delivering exactly what they promise and remain honest about their formulas.

As a vegan – you’ll love the extensive options available to you.

But if you will not support a brand that isn't entirely vegan or if Farmacy isn’t available in your area – there are some 100% vegan brands to consider instead:

Is Farmacy Natural and Organic? 

Farmacy considers itself a ‘farm-to-face’ brand with high amounts of natural ingredients. Unfortunately, it is not considered organic.

But combining science and natural ingredients means there are some clean synthetic formulas that Farmacy uses.

Clean vs. Natural Ingredients

The term "natural" is not regulated for cosmetics and skincare. In other words, it doesn't hold one specific meaning.

Usually, it means a product is free of more toxic synthetic ingredients, including parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and more. But people also interpret "natural" to mean ingredients of immediate plant origin.

Here's the thing: "natural" is not necessarily good. Just because an ingredient is natural (take olive oil, for example) doesn't mean you should rub it on your skin and sit in the sun, so you fry like a chicken breast!

All products use a certain amount of synthetic ingredients in their formulas. Farmacy is no exception – but it does choose to use better or clean synthetics.

If a synthetic ingredient is "clean," it means it is safe and non-toxic for us. Its purpose is to preserve the stability of a beauty formulation.

A few naturally-derived ingredients Farmacy uses to enhance its cosmetics include:

  • Vitamin A, also called retinol, is an anti-aging boon. It’s another antioxidant powerhouse that refines pores and minimizes signs of aging. Please always use an SPF with this active ingredient or, ideally, use it at night.
  • Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance in our skin that helps maintain moisture and boost tissue regeneration and wound healing.

    As we age, we produce less hyaluronic acid – making it an essential ingredient in our beauty products.
  • Niacinamide, or Vitamin B3, has been shown to reduce the appearance of blemishes and skin congestions. It also repairs the skin barrier, increases smoothness, and boosts radiance.

Does Farmacy Use Safe Ingredients?

According to Skin Safe, Farmacy has a 91% allergen-free ranking for each product.

Farmacy’s clean standards meet EU regulations and never contain parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, chemical sunscreens, mineral oil or petrochemicals, SLS/SLES, TEA, DEA, and MEA.

Farmacy products also avoid allergens like nickel, gluten, soy, Propylene glycol, oil, and dyes.

Reading the ingredient list is crucial because Farmacy is not 100% hypoallergenic or non-comedogenic, and they do not claim to be.

However, certain products are specifically for these concerns, so make sure you buy what your skin needs.

The EU/UK Have Stricter Ingredient Regulations

We don’t want to scare you, but you HAVE to read up on any product’s ingredient list before you make a purchase – especially if you live within the United States. The reason why will shock you.

The FDA has only banned or restricted 11 harmful chemicals from cosmetics within the country. Europe and the UK, on the other hand, have banned 1,328!

Luckily, Farmacy sets a great example of what true clean beauty is meant to be. So you shouldn’t have to worry about any serious hidden nasties in its products.

But it’s still worth knowing which ingredients to avoid in skincare:
  • Ethoxylated ingredients (PPG, PEG, and polysorbate)
  • Ethanolamine compounds (DEA, MEA, and TEA)
  • Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, aka teflon®)
  • Nanomaterials
  • Nitrosamines
  • Polyacrylamide
  • P-phenylenediamine
  • DMDM Hydantoin
  • Ethanolamine compounds (DEA, MEA, and TEA)
  • Homosalate
  • Phthalates
  • Propylene glycol (pg) & butylene glycol
  • Triclosan
  • Formaldehyde

Are Cruelty-Free Ingredients Safe?

If you’re worried about how safe it is to use cosmetics not tested on animals – please relax and take a sigh of relief.

There is no reason why cruelty-free products shouldn’t be as safe as anything tested on animals.

Not only is it easy to test ingredients without using animals altogether, but there are so many pre-approved ingredients you can use to make cosmetics that there is no need.

If you’re interested, here’s more on the subject: Are Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Safe?

Is Farmacy Sustainable and Ethical? 

Something commendable about Farmacy is that it wants to be transparent with its customers.

It spends a lot of time improving its carbon footprint, responsible sourcing strategies, and its consumer’s eco-awareness.

As it stands, the brand:

  • Helps create sustainable, ethically developed products.
  • Focuses on lessening the impact it has on the planet.
  • Strives to do more to help people.

One of the ethical causes Farmacy supports is food security, partnering with Feed America- the country’s largest food relief organization.

It's no secret that the world has a huge waste problem, and cosmetic brands only make it worse by using unsustainable packaging and harmful ingredients.

Some of the ways Farmacy is taking strong environmental accountability is by:

  • Developing formulas that are kinder to the environment.
  • Sourcing directly from farms, including local and organic farms.
  • Working on sustainable packaging developments- packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable.
  • Only sourcing 10- 20% of packaging from virgin sources – the rest is post-consumer recycled.
  • Using 100% conflict from ingredients.
  • Using non-GMO ingredients.
  • Being a ClearForMe partner with an ingredient transparency database.
  • Ensuring that the plastic containers they use are recyclable.
  • Encouraging consumers to recycle their products with instructions on the website.
  • Consolidated supply chain to reduce the emissions used to create products.
  • Introducing carbon-neutral e-commerce shipping.
  • Using sustainably sourced paper (FSC certified) and soy or vegetable-based ink to create its packaging.
  • Prohibiting synthetic microbeads that pollute our waters and harm marine life.
  • Creating 100% recyclable packaging through TerraCycle® (a program that customers can easily follow). This is currently only available for US customers. Other brands that have joined TerraCycle include Acure and Glow Recipe.

Final Thoughts

Farmacy is a well-developed cosmetics brand that is cruelty-free with many vegan options.

Farmacy is backed by the most reliable and globally-recognized cruelty-free organization – Leaping Bunny. This not only shows the brand’s dedication to the cause, but it’s also a step toward a more sustainable future in cosmetics.

We appreciate that it has a transparent supply chain and is open to the public about its testing, purchasing, and distribution policies.

Of course, since Farmacy is not 100% vegan – it might not be the best choice for activists who go the extra mile. But we must admit their strong eco-policies and social action are impressive!

So we wouldn't shut it down so quickly if we were you. This young brand is developing and listening to your needs, so keep following its movements.

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